


A Familial Truth

by CanaryWarrior



Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, Nancy is Ryan and Lucy's Daughter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22610422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanaryWarrior/pseuds/CanaryWarrior
Summary: Based on the popular theory that Nancy’s biological parents are Lucy Sable and Ryan Hudson. Nancy figures out the mystery, and the first person she goes to is someone who deserves to know the truth: Ryan.Now a story of related one-shots!
Relationships: Nancy Drew & Ryan Hudson
Comments: 44
Kudos: 283
Collections: Drewson 🔍🚗





	1. Learning the Truth

**Author's Note:**

> I know that it is a popular theory that Nancy is Ryan and Lucy’s daughter, and I really wanted to write about it. I think Ryan is a complex and neutral character who just needs a good reason to become a better person. I tried to keep Nancy and Ryan in character the best I could. Let me know what you think in the comments! I hope you enjoy the read!

Nancy took a deep breath as she approached Ryan Hudson’s house, or mansion would be the better word. She made sure that Ryan was the only one home. The only way she would be able to say anything would be if the two of them were alone. Not that Nancy didn’t trust Ned, Bess, George, and Ace, she did, and she will eventually tell them the truth. It was everyone else, besides her father, who she didn’t trust.

The strawberry blonde knew that her real parents were the Drews. She was a Drew through and through, and nothing would ever change that. Carson Drew and Kate Drew raised her, and they will forever remain her true parents. She had a good life, up until her mom died the previous year, but she knew that she grew up loved and taken care of. She now had four great friends, despite one of them being an ex, who cared deeply about her (even if George would rather clean every square inch of The Claw than admit it). As far as Nancy was concerned, she had a good life.

However, she learned that it was always best to be honest with people, even if the truth hurt. Maybe there’s a chance that Ryan will never find out the truth, but if he did, Nancy truly believed that she was the best person to tell him. Nancy took another breath and rang the doorbell.

She waited for about thirty seconds. Maybe Ryan didn’t hear the doorbell? Nancy was sure he was home. As she raised her hand to press it again, the door opened.

“Nancy? What are you doing here?” Ryan questioned, his blue eyes looking at her with a hint of suspicion.

Nancy felt a bit nervous but pushed her feelings to the back of her mind. “I figured out something about Lucy and I thought you deserved to know.”

Ryan’s eyes widened at the mention of his deceased girlfriend. “Come in.” He stepped aside and allowed Nancy to enter his house. He quickly looked outside, satisfied that nobody saw Nancy enter his home, and closed the door. He guided the young detective to his couch and took a seat in the chair opposite of her. 

“What did you find out?”

Nancy took a breath. “Lucy was pregnant,” she said bluntly.

Ryan looked shocked and devastated, which surprised Nancy. The only time she saw Ryan being vulnerable was that night at the Velvet Masque. “What?” He asked, a broken look in his bright blue eyes, which looked exactly like Nancy’s.

“Please, don’t interrupt, I really need to say everything first,” Nancy begged. Ryan nodded silently and allowed her to continue. “She was pregnant and hid it well. She wore all the right clothing, so no one would question it. The dress she wore when she won Sea Queen was perfect for hiding a baby bump. Your parents somehow found out, which is why they cut you off from her and sent you to boarding school.”

Nancy stopped for a second to gather herself. Ryan’s expression was growing more and more melancholy as she spoke. 

“They called their favorite lawyer to help. They paid my dad fifty thousand dollars. I’m not sure what they told him exactly, but he and my mom found that Lucy had given birth to a baby girl, but Lucy was dying. My parents couldn’t save her, but they saved the baby.”

Nancy saw the slow realization in Ryan’s eyes. She felt herself tear up. “My parents adopted the baby and spent a year in Europe to pass her off as their own, so nobody would question it. As far as anyone knows, she is the daughter of Carson and Kate Drew.”

Ryan stared at Nancy as a tear fell from her eye. He couldn’t believe it, how could he not have noticed? Nancy looked more like him than Carson. They’re both naturally suspicious people. Lucy had a good reason to haunt him, but he didn’t know why she would haunt Nancy of all people. Now it all made sense.

He had a daughter. A grown-up daughter, with the only girl he ever truly loved. A daughter who was kept from him and was raised by another family for her own protection. God, what would’ve happened if his parents found out that Nancy was his daughter? Did they ever figure it out? More importantly, why didn’t he notice at all? Why didn’t he try harder to reach Lucy after his parents shipped him off to boarding school?

After a few minutes of silence, Nancy spoke. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I don’t want money or anything, I just thought you deserved to know the truth. I’m not expecting anything from you, at all. And we can do a DNA test if you want proof, just let me know.” The detective wiped her tears and stood up to leave. She didn’t expect to become emotional, but she wasn’t surprised. What happened to Lucy was truly a tragedy, and she discovered that she had two mothers who died. 

“Wait!” Ryan stood up quickly. Nancy stopped. “I… I’m sorry. I should have done something, anything, to help Lucy. I should’ve reached out to her, maybe I could’ve helped her.”

“I don’t blame you for what happened to her, nothing about her death was your fault. And even if you did know about her being pregnant, did you really think that you could’ve raised a baby with her? You were both teenagers, and I imagine your parents would’ve been very angry about it.” Nancy responded.

Ryan knew that Nancy was right. She was a detective, of course her logic was right. But he couldn’t help but imagine what could’ve been. Would he have been able to raise a baby while still being in high school? Maybe raising Nancy would’ve made him a better man. How would Nancy have turned out if he did raise her? Prior to today, he never would’ve admitted out loud that he thought the young waitress was intelligent, caring, and a good person. He felt some pride inside him as he thought of his newly discovered daughter. 

“You’re right. I’m glad that you were raised by two loving and supporting parents. I know that they will always be your parents, and I would never come in between you and your father, the one who actually raised you. I’m sorry that you lost not one but two mothers.” Ryan said sincerely. 

Nancy nodded. “Thanks. I don’t think I ever got the chance to tell you that I’m sorry you lost both Lucy and Tiffany.”

Ryan gave Nancy a small, watery smile. “I should’ve realized that you were my daughter. You don’t look like Carson at all.”

Nancy let out a soft chuckle at that. “I’m the detective, I should’ve noticed that we have the same eyes and that Lucy would only haunt me if she had a good reason to.”

Ryan quietly laughed at that. “If I had known sooner…” he trailed off, his face losing the little humor he had just a second ago.

“You wouldn’t have dated my friend, who is the same age as me?” Nancy questioned, with a rare smirk that Ryan noticed looked a lot like his own.

Ryan also had the decency to feel ashamed. “I’m not proud of that…”

“Well, I think your ex and my ex are interested in each other so….” Nancy shrugged, as she watched the look of surprise on Ryan’s face. “I should go. I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want…” Nancy began to walk toward the door. She didn’t know what else to say, and the only reason she came here was to tell Ryan the truth. She did that.

“It doesn’t matter what I want, it matters what you want,” Ryan said quickly, surprising himself and Nancy. He took a breath and said “If you want me to leave you alone, I will. If you never want to see me again, I understand, and I’ll leave Horseshoe Bay. You’re my daughter, and I just want you to feel comfortable.” Ryan meant every word of it. He was surprised how quickly the protective instinct came, but he found that he truly wanted Nancy to have the best life possible. He wasn’t there for her at all while she grew up. Hell, he went to her for help when he thought someone was trying to kill him and then brought her to an illegal, underground auction. What kind of father puts their child at risk? He wanted to make it up to her. 

Nancy was surprised. She was good at reading people, and she could tell that Ryan truly meant what he said. “I don’t want you to leave. This town is your home, and it’s my home too. And, I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more,” she added hesitantly.

Ryan smiled. “I’d like to get to know you too.” After a thought, he asked “Were you happy? Growing up with the Drews, were you happy?”

Nancy smiled as she thought of her childhood. “Yeah, I was happy.”

“And now?”

Nancy thought about it. Her mom died last year, and she just found out that Lucy Sable was her biological mother. But she still had her dad, and four unlikely friends who would follow her into danger without hesitation. Friends who saved her more than once. She was still loved. “Yeah, I am. I have some pretty great people in my life, who saved me more than once.”

Ryan was glad that Nancy was happy. Would she have been happy if she was raised by him? He then realized what she said. “What do you mean, saved you more than once?”

Nancy let out a nervous chuckle. “You should sit down for this.” They both moved to the couch, and Nancy recounted the case of the Poisoner’s Pearl. “I was dying. I saw this bright light and I walked towards it.” Nancy saw Ryan’s urgent expression and continued. “Lucy was there. She stopped me and screamed and then I woke up. Ned and George found the antidote in the ring I took from the poisoner and gave it to me just in time. I don’t think I ever saw them so scared.”

“You went through all of that?” Ryan read about what happened, but he didn’t know that Nancy almost died. He felt upset with himself that he couldn’t help her at all. “I’m sorry, I wish I had helped you at least once.”

“You did help me. You got me into the Velvet Masque,” Nancy reminded him.

“In exchange for you breaking and entering and stealing coins.”

Nancy waved that off. “And you helped get my dad out of jail. Ace told me that you sent him the recording of the phone call of your father organizing the hit on my dad.” Nancy saw Ryan slightly flinch when she said ‘dad,’ but continued. “And yeah, he’s on house arrest, but it’s better than prison. I never thanked you for that.”

“You don’t have to thank me, ever. Did Ace tell you that I gave him that recording to make us even for what my parents did to him and Laura?” Ryan asked. He knew that he wasn’t a good person, and Nancy had the right to know that.

“Yeah, he did. But you’re not a bad person. You still helped him, even though you had nothing to do with his car accident. I think you know that your parents aren’t good people and you want to fix your family name.” Nancy explained.

“I know I’m not as bad as my parents, but I’m not a good person either.”

Nancy smiled a little. “Well did you ever have a reason to be a good person?”

Ryan looked at Nancy with an unreadable look on his face. He thought of Lucy, who he thought was the one good thing he had. He lost her, and then he didn’t care about things the same way again. Now, he had a daughter. A brilliant daughter, nonetheless. “I do now,” he said, knowing Nancy was smart enough to know what he meant.

Nancy smiled. She knew that Ryan wasn’t like his parents, but she didn’t expect the conversation to turn out like this. She didn’t expect him to want to be part of her life.

Ryan’s expression turned hesitant. “Do you want to know more about Lucy?” He would never try to replace Nancy’s real parents, but if she wanted to know about Lucy, he would tell her anything.

“Yeah, I would like that,” Nancy replied softly. She texted her dad, Bess, George, Ned, and Ace to let them know that she was busy that day. Nancy and Ryan spent time talking, both parties feeling better than they did at the beginning of their conversation.


	2. Photo Albums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan asks Nancy to see some old photos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a few ideas about this concept, and I decided to write about one of them. I am planning on writing more, so this will probably turn into a series of connected one shots. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments! If you wanna talk about the show or anything, my Tumblr is canary-warrior!

A few days have passed since Nancy told Ryan the truth. Both were still reeling from the recent discovery, but they were getting through it together. Ryan decided to do a DNA test with Nancy. Not that he didn’t believe her, he did, but he wanted the physical proof so he can remind himself that he truly does have one good family member. The test came back positive, and he teared up when he read it. The paper with the test results were the only thing he had to remind him of his newly found daughter. He didn’t have any familial memories with her. That thought came to him while he read the paternity results for what seemed like the hundredth time; maybe he could ask Nancy if he could see any old pictures of her? Did he have the right to ask her that?

The two of them had grown closer, but Ryan knew that he would never truly be Nancy’s father, as that role was currently filled by Carson Drew. Ryan wasn’t upset at that though, Carson was a good man who raised Nancy well. Not only that, he was scared that Nancy would tell him to leave Horseshoe Bay. He would have, but she said that she wanted him to stay. It was far more than what he deserved, and Ryan was cautious about not overstepping his boundaries. He finally had something good in his life, and he was terrified of losing it.

Ryan mustered up his courage and walked out to his car. The Claw would be closing in a couple of minutes, and Nancy and her coworkers always stayed behind to clean up. He would be able to catch her, hopefully in private. Nancy didn’t want everyone to know the truth, because she was worried about what the other Hudsons would do, and Ryan agreed. Nancy, however, couldn’t keep a secret that big from her friends, so she told Bess, George, Ned and Ace. She didn’t elaborate on how that conversation went, and honestly Ryan wasn’t sure if he did want to know. 

The Hudson heir pulled up to The Claw and entered it. Nancy was cleaning one of the tables, but she was alone. George was probably in her office and Ace was likely in the back. Nancy looked up at him and smiled. 

“Hey, what are you doing here? I thought we were avoiding as many public interactions as possible?” Nany raised an eyebrow.

“This doesn’t seem very public at the moment,” Ryan responded, indicating to the empty restaurant. He was still surprised at how easy it was to talk to Nancy.

Nancy chuckled and continued to wipe a table. “So what are you doing here?”

Ryan hesitated for a moment before asking “I was wondering if you had any old photos of yourself?” At Nancy’s surprised reaction, he said quickly “I just realized that I never knew what you looked like as a baby and a kid. I missed a lot. But if you don’t want to, I understand.”

“No, don’t worry about that. I would be glad to show you some pictures. I have some albums somewhere in my house. I’ll have to ask my dad where they are,” Nancy replied. She noticed that Ryan’s expression slightly fell each time she said ‘dad,’ but she figured it must not be easy to hear your grown-up child acknowledge someone else as their parent. “I can bring them by when I find them.”

The blonde sighed in relief. “Thank you, and take your time, there’s no rush.”

“Why did you come all the way here to ask me that? You could’ve just texted or called.” The detective questioned, a curious glint in her bright blue eyes.

“I…don’t know. I guess I just wanted to see you. Is that alright?” Ryan asked cautiously. He didn’t want to do anything to make Nancy feel uncomfortable.

Nancy gave her biological father a small smile. “Yeah, that’s okay.” She was still adjusting to having Ryan Hudson as a biological father. Honestly, she didn’t expect him to go through all the effort of getting to know her.

“Hey, Nancy! Can you help me with these boxes?” Ace’s voice called from the backroom.

Nancy turned to Ryan. “I have to go, but I can stop by with an album or two when I find them.”

Ryan nodded. “That sounds great.” Part of him wanted to hug her, but he knew he didn’t have the right to. Nancy nodded at him and walked to the backroom help Ace. Ryan wasn’t sure if she noticed how his arms slightly twitched towards her for a hug, but if she did, he’s grateful she didn’t mention it. 

The two said goodbye before Nancy walked away. “Coming, Ace!”

Ryan walked back to his car and drove home, feeling lighter than he did earlier that day. He saw this as progress in his relationship with his daughter. He was still in awe of the fact that he even had a daughter, especially one who was a suspect for his wife’s murder. 

He was still trying to figure out a more efficient way of hiding this newfound discovery from his parents and everyone else. He wasn’t worried about Carson telling anyone, he kept it a secret for years, and it took eighteen years for him to introduce Nancy to him. Nancy trusted Bess, George, Ned and Ace, and that was good enough for Ryan. Now, all her had to do was work on his family business and wait for Nancy.

\------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, dad! Where are the old photo albums?” Nancy called out when she entered her home. Carson, who was still on house arrest, walked out of his office. 

“They’re in the cabinet near the television,” Carson responded, a curious look in his eyes. “Why do you need them?”

Nancy walked toward the cabinet and opened them. She pulled out a few of the older looking albums. “Ryan asked me if he could see some of my old photos.” She watched her dad smile tightly, but she knew that he didn’t mean any ill will; he just wanted her safe. “Dad, you know that you’re the one who raised me, and you’ll always be my dad, no matter what.”

“I know, but I don’t think I’m going to get used to you bonding with Ryan Hudson of all people,” Carson explained. He knew that Nancy had the right to know her biological father, but in his eyes, she will always be his child.

Nancy chuckled at that. “Yeah, honestly, me neither. I also never expected him to actually try to know me, so I guess we’re all being surprised. You know, he told me himself that he would never come between us. He’s glad that you raised me, and I believe him.”

Carson smiled at that, content with knowing that Ryan wasn’t trying to meddle or ruin his relationship with his daughter. “So, did you find the albums you wanted?”

Nancy flipped through two albums that contained her baby and childhood pictures. “Yeah, these two are perfect. You and mom took a lot of photos of me,” Nancy smiled sadly, remembering her late mom.

Carson gave a watery smile at the thought of his wife. “She didn’t want to miss a moment with you. She loved you so much.”

Nancy put the album down on a table and walked towards her dad. She threw her arms around him, a gesture Carson quickly returned. “You and mom are my parents. You always were, and you always will be.”

“I love you, kiddo,”

“I love you too.” Nancy shared one last smile with her dad before taking two albums and going upstairs to her room. She had most of tomorrow off from work, so she would go see Ryan then. To make sure he was available, Nancy texted him. 

_Hey, are you free tomorrow?_

_Yeah, I am. I’ll be at home. Everything okay?_

Nancy was surprised at the concern Ryan showed, In his defense, she hardly texted him, preferring in person meetings with him, but it was nice to see that he cared about her.

_Everything is fine. I just wanted to bring over a few photo albums_

_Great! You can stop by anytime! And thank you, Nancy._

After receiving Ryan’s message, Nancy put her phone down, and went on with the rest of her day.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Nancy walked up to the Hudson mansion and rang the doorbell. About twenty seconds later, Ryan answered. When he saw it was her, he smiled, which made him look younger somehow.

“Hey, Nancy! Come in,” Ryan stepped aside as the strawberry blonde entered. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, thanks,” Nancy said politely as she sat down on the couch. She reached into her bag and pulled out two photo albums. Ryan sat down next to her.

“So this one has baby pictures, and the second one has photos from when I was in preschool until middle school.” Nancy explained. She opened the album with the baby pictures first and offered Ryan half of it, while she held on to the other half.

“Wow,” Ryan said breathlessly, as he looked at the baby photos. He couldn’t believe that he missed all of this- Nancy growing up, that is. “You were an adorable baby.”

Nancy chuckled. “All babies are cute. But thank you.” She and Ryan flipped the pages. They stopped at a picture of Nancy dressed as a pumpkin when she was around two years old. “My parents told me that I wouldn’t let go of the pumpkin costume when we went to the store. Apparently, I ran up to it and chose it over dozens of the other costumes.”

Ryan laughed at the story and looked at his daughter while she her attention was on the album. He was grateful that the Drews gave her a loving home, but at the same time, part of him wished that he got to experience the joy of raising a child. He missed out on countless memories. He wasn’t sure before, but now, as he looked through old photographs of his daughter, he genuinely believed that raising Nancy would’ve made him a better man. 

Nancy noticed that Ryan hadn’t said anything and looked up at him, only to find that he was looking at her. “You okay?”

Ryan snapped out of his deep thoughts. “Yeah, I am,” he said quickly, looking back at the album. 

Nancy and Ryan sat there, flipping through pictures while Nancy told stories about some of them. They were halfway through the second one when Nancy looked up and noticed a paper on a nearby table. She noticed that part of the paper mentioned DNA. She got up and picked it up.

“Why did you leave this out in the open?” Nancy questioned, holding the paper that confirmed that she was Ryan’s biological daughter.

Ryan’s expression turned slightly sheepish. “I kept looking at it. It was the only physical connection I had to you. It’s proof that I have a good family member, and the fact that I have a child who is such a good person…” He trailed off, before coming to a sudden realization. “If someone else had come, I would’ve hidden it. I wouldn’t put you in any danger.”

“Says the guy who came to me when he thought someone was going to kill him,” Nancy said wryly, before giving Ryan a small grin. “It’s okay, I was just curious.” She went to her bag and took out an envelope. “Here, these are some extra copies of some pictures that we had. My dad said it was alright to give them to you,” Nancy explained as she handed them to Ryan. 

Ryan accepted the envelope and opened it. There were a decent amount of photographs, including the one where Nancy dressed up as a pumpkin, which was admittedly one of his favorites (because it was so adorable, not that he would ever admit it out loud).

“Now you don’t have to keep holding on to our DNA results. How often did you look at this? It’s only been a few days and the paper is very worn out,” the detective noted, analyzing the results.

Ryan chuckled at that. He wondered what it was like for Carson and Kate, to raise a daughter who analyzed everything in sight. No wonder she was such a good detective. “Thank you, Nancy. For everything. You didn’t have to do this.”

Nancy shrugged. “It was no big deal, don’t worry about it.” She wasn’t sure if she was ready to have an extremely emotional conversation with Ryan yet. 

“Honestly, I’m still waiting for you to decide you want nothing to do with me,” Ryan admitted. Of course, if she didn’t want to see him again, he would leave town. His heart would break (and God was it strange to admit that to himself), but in the few days of getting to know Nancy, he wanted the best for her. His parents hardly spent time with him, which was why he believed Nancy wouldn’t want to spend any time with him now.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Nancy insisted. She would never tell someone to leave their home, especially not Ryan. 

Ryan saw that Nancy meant what she said, and that meant the world to him. He smiled and asked “Do you want to finish going through the other album?”

Nancy smiled and nodded. They sat back on the couch and Nancy resumed telling Ryan stories about her childhood. Both of them considered this day to be an important step in their developing familial relationship.


	3. The Sign of the Uninvited Guest Rewrite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rewrite of the scenes with Nancy and Ryan from ‘The Sign of the Uninvited Guest’ with them knowing that they are related.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I was busy, but I'm glad I waited because the newest episode was amazing! I got inspired and decided to rewrite the scenes with Nancy and Ryan, this time with them knowing that they are related. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Nancy and Ace were at the library where the latter had finally hacked into the emails between Lucy and Ryan. There were mostly love letters, or love emails.

“I think I love you…I think I love you too,” Nancy read softly. Ryan and Lucy truly seemed to love each other. That’s what she thought, before she saw another email.

“I can’t forgive you for what you did. You’re a whore like everyone says. I hope you die,” Nancy read out loud, eyes widening in shock. She couldn’t believe that Ryan wrote that. He loved Lucy, he told her that himself. And she’s pretty sure that he loves her too, or was she wrong? Did Ryan lie? Potential evidence was staring at her in her face. She noticed another email, where Lucy and Ryan agreed to meet at the same spot Lucy was murdered. Did Ryan kill Lucy?

“Hey, Nancy, are you okay?” Ace asked softly, snapping her out of her thoughts. He and the rest of their friends knew the truth about Nancy’s parentage, and he knows that this will be hard on her.

Nancy blinked her tears away. “I’m fine. Let’s go meet the others back at The Claw.” 

The detective and the hacker printed out the emails and left. They needed a plan.

\------------------------------------------

Ryan entered The Claw with Detective Hart, where he saw Nancy, Bess, George, Ace, Ned, and Laura. He was confused as to why they were all here, until they explained they wanted to go over what happened the night Tiffany died. Everyone insisted that he go back out in the rain, and he only agreed when he saw Nancy’s expecting look. Then the reenactment began. He sat at a table with Ned, Karen, and Laura as the staff of The Claw talked through the events of that night.

“I wanted to see you,” Ryan confessed to George, who was over him. He felt ashamed, because he dated someone who was his daughter’s age, who was now one of her closest friends. Nancy is probably the only reason George didn’t ban him from The Claw.

The staff continued until they got up to the part with the salad. Ace confessed that he thought the salad was for Tiffany. He looked devastated, and the atmosphere of the room changed.

“I thought it was for Tiffany’s order,” Ace said quietly. It was obvious to everyone that he felt guilty. 

“Then I took that out to Tiffany in the parking lot,” Nancy added quietly, choking up toward the end of the sentence. She couldn’t believe it. The entire time, she and her friends were trying to solve her murder, which happened because of their actions. She could tell by her friends’ tearful expressions that they were thinking the same thing. She brought her biological father’s wife a meal that was poisoned. Then, Nancy had a realization. She could tell her friends had the same thought as her, judging by George and Ace’s expressions and Bess gasping and putting her hand over her mouth in shock.

“What is it?” Ryan asked, confused. He was surprised and worried when Nancy turned around to look at him. There were tears in her eyes. Why was she crying? He felt a protective instinct towards her. 

“That poison wasn’t meant for Tiffany, it was meant for you,” the strawberry blonde revealed quietly.

Ryan was shocked. Tiffany wasn’t meant to die, he was. He turned around and swiftly walked out. Nancy quickly followed him out into the rain while everyone else remained inside.

“Why would someone want to kill me? A business threat?” Ryan asked once they were both outside.

“Your company was losing money, I doubt it was about business.” Nancy took her phone out of her pocket. “I think it had something to do with this.”

As Nancy searched for the video, Ryan noted “Look, you should get back inside. It’s raining and if the killer sees us together… I can’t lose you too.” The Hudson heir was terrified of losing Nancy. God, how was she feeling, now that she knew that she gave Tiffany a plate of poisoned food meant for him? “Are you alright?”

Nancy looked up. “Alright? My friends and I were part of Tiffany’s murder. I gave her a plate of poisoned food!” Nancy expressed loudly, a tear falling from her eye. “I’m not alright.”

Ryan instantly put what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, okay? And it wasn’t George’s, Bess’s, or Ace’s fault either.”

Nancy shook Ryan’s hand off her shoulder and ignored the concerned and hurt look on his face. She clicked play on the video. “I was trying to record the fireworks and I got this.”

“Is that Lucy?” Ryan questioned, before the video showed static. Lucy was here, the night his wife died?

As soon as Ryan said those words, all the lights flickered off. Nancy and Ryan looked around in the rain, to see if there was a non-supernatural explanation. Their attention were brought to Nancy’s phone, which made a crackling sound.

“Now everyone from that night is here,” Nancy observed, moving her phone up until it reverted back to its normal camera. Lucy was using the phone to communicate with her. Nancy just had to move it to see if her ghost will appear on the screen.

“What do you mean? Like Lucy?” Ryan asked as he looked at his daughter.

Nancy moved her phone around, and noticed it crackled as she moved it in certain directions but remained clear in one. “I think she’s trying to show us something.” She looked at Ryan expectantly.

“You really wanna-“ Ryan gestured to the phone and their surroundings. At Nancy’s nod, he said “Okay. I’m not leaving you alone.” He wasn’t losing the one good thing he had in his life. He took a second to admire Nancy’s bravery.

Nancy and Ryan walked to the side of The Claw, while the detective moved her phone around. The images became clear as she pointed the phone toward the windows, where she saw her friends. They stopped at one of the windows while Nancy moved her phone. She and Ryan gasped as they saw Lucy, crawling backwards. After Lucy left, the lights turned back on. They walked forward a bit, until they got to the window Laura was sitting at. Nancy and Ryan bent down and heard Bess freaking out over a text while George and Laura tried to calm her down. Then, it hit her. The killer was outside this very window and overheard what Ryan and his friends ordered that night, so they could poison the right dish. Nancy stood up, a hurt and determined look on her face, and walked back to the front of The Claw. Ryan, confused at Nancy’s sudden actions, followed her quickly.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Ryan asked in concern when they both got to the front. Did she figure something out? 

“The killer could hear your order. Everyone else at the table ordered fries, but you ordered a salad. So they knew exactly which dish to poison.” Nancy explained, the gears turning in her head. She couldn’t help but think if Ryan really did lie to her.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Ryan replied. What was Nancy talking about?

“Of course it does. Because Lucy’s death led to Tiffany’s death, and this is how. It was revenge. Because you murdered Lucy Sable.” Nancy said, her voice cracking toward the end.

Ryan was shocked. After everything, Nancy believed he killed Lucy? “Nancy-“

“That’s why she’s been haunting you since you came back to Horseshoe Bay. Tiffany sensed her presence, because Lucy was trying to warn her about you!” Nancy shouted. 

Ryan shook his head and began to walk away from his daughter. He didn’t kill Lucy, he loved her, and he loves Nancy, too. He never told her that, though. He thought that she believed he wasn’t a bad person, that he wasn’t a killer. Now, his daughter was accusing him of murdering her biological mother. He didn’t want her to see the tears in his eyes.

“That’s why Lucy was here the night Tiffany died! It’s why she decided to haunt me now, after eighteen years! She was trying to warn Tiffany, and she was trying to warn me! Because you killed her!” Nancy yelled.

Ryan turned around. “I didn’t kill Lucy!” He shouted, raw emotion in his voice. “I loved her,” he spoke in a softer tone, pleading his daughter to believe him.

Nancy took the printout of the email out of her pocket. “I can’t forgive you for what you did. You’re a whore like everyone says. I hope you die. Yeah, that sounds a lot like love to me,” Nancy said sarcastically while shoving the paper into Ryan’s chest.

Ryan read the contents of the crumpled paper. He didn’t write it, he would never write anything so horrible to Lucy. He noticed that it was sent from the email address he had when he went to boarding school. No wonder Nancy believed he sent that. “I didn’t…I didn’t-“

“What, you didn’t write that? Just like you didn’t lie to me about breaking things off after the Velvet Masque? Just like you didn’t arrange a meeting with her the night that she was murdered?” Nancy continued.

Ryan’s eyes widened as Lucy appeared behind Nancy, who was unaware of her biological mother’s presence. 

“Did she meet somebody else and so you killed her?” Nancy asked.

Lucy appeared closer to Nancy and screamed at Ryan. He grabbed Nancy’s hand, pulled her closer to him and turned her around. She gasped when she saw Lucy, who screamed once more at Ryan before vanishing. 

Nancy pulled her hand out of Ryan’s. “How long was she there?” She asked.

“When you started talking about the arranged meeting,” he confessed. He ran his hand through his hair, which was wet from the rain. “Nancy, please, I didn’t kill Lucy. I didn’t write that email, I swear. I don’t know who did, but I never would’ve said something like that to her. And I didn’t agree to meet her that night! I don’t know who got into my emails, but I didn’t send those.”

Nancy bit her lip. “And why should I believe you?” She asked, eyes gleaming with tears.

“Because I loved her more than anything. And I love you more than anything, too. I would never do anything to hurt you, and I never would’ve hurt Lucy or Tiffany, either.”  
Ryan meant every word, he only hoped that Nancy believed him.

Nancy considered his words. Did he mean them? Did he truly love Lucy? And did he really love her more than anything? “Then why does Lucy keep scaring you? Why did she hurt you with your ring before?” She wasn’t going to let her emotions cloud her judgement.

“Maybe she thought I did send those emails. Maybe that’s why she hates me, even in death. Not that I blame her.”

Nancy looked at him. “You really loved her, didn’t you?”

“I did. And I love you, too. If you hate me, that’s fine, I don’t deserve to have a daughter like you. But I’m not lying about that. Please believe me.” Ryan said emotionally. It was true, he wasn’t expecting Nancy to love him, she already has a father that she loves.

Nancy took a few seconds and responded, “I believe you. I’m sorry for screaming all those things at you.”

Ryan shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize, Nancy. I know how awful it must’ve looked for me. But I promise, from now on, I’ll tell you the truth about anything.”

Nancy nodded. “You should go. The killer is still out there, and I’m sure you’re still on their hit list.” Besides, the last time Ryan came to The Claw late at night, someone was murdered.

Ryan shook his head. “I’m not leaving you when there’s a murderer out there,” he insisted. 

“No one is trying to kill me, they’re trying to kill you,” Nancy reasoned. She put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

Ryan hesitated, but eventually gave in. “Stay safe,” he told his daughter as he got into his car.

“I will,” Nancy responded. She waved as Ryan drove away. Now that he left, she still had some digging to do. She will go to Joshua’s garage, so see if Lucy had anything on that old computer of his. She believed that Ryan didn’t kill her, but maybe Lucy had something on the computer that could help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to end the chapter with Ryan leaving, because if he didn't, Nancy wouldn't have gone to Joshua's garage and she wouldn't have solved Tiffany's murder. I hope you enjoyed the read!


	4. Hudson and Marvin Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hudsons and Marvins decide to have another dinner together, in lieu of the way the previous one ended. The topic of Ryan having children pop up. Featuring an internally panicking Ryan and helpful Bess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I had this chapter in my document for weeks, and I meant to publish it before episode 14 came out. And then I saw that episode, and decided to write a whole new chapter based on that. But for this story, this chapter chronologically occurs before chapter 3. 
> 
> SPOILERS  
> I saw the new episode and omg Nancy is Lucy and Ryan's daughter! We were right! I can't wait to see how the relationship between Nancy and Ryan develops in the show!

The effect of being a father was slowly but surely working on Ryan. He genuinely wanted to be a better man and discovering that Nancy was his daughter made him work even harder at bettering himself. One way that he decided to do this was to attempt to make peace with the Marvin family. The only Marvin he was on good terms with was Bess (and honestly, she was the only Marvin who Ryan actually liked), and he brought up the idea of their families having dinner together. Bess agreed to convince her newfound family to come, and here they are now: Ryan and his mother Celia, and the Marvins, Bess, Owen, and their Aunt Diane.

Of course, the night didn’t start off well, with Diane goading Celia about Everett.

“Our family have been doing better, now that dear Sebastian finally got justice, after your husband had him killed all those years ago,” Diane said.

“Please, Everett will be out of prison soon enough. It’s astonishing that you believe he would kill a valued business partner,” Celia drawled.

“And she continues to deny it,” Diane noted to Bess and Owen, the former starting to look uncomfortable. 

“It was your little girlfriend who got him arrested, wasn’t it?” Celia turned her attention to Bess. “And your redheaded friend.”

Bess’s grip tightened on her glass, and she was ready to defend Lisbeth and Nancy. “And you tried to have her father killed! She lost her mother, and her father was in jail because of your family, and you were willing to make sure she lost another parent!” 

Diane and Owen looked impressed and proud of Bess. Ryan was also impressed but masked his expression. He was just glad that Nancy had such good friends, and that Bess was the only good Marvin he knew. 

“Bess is right. We may have our own skeletons, but we wouldn’t do that to someone. Maybe you should be more cautious, before getting outsmarted by a teenager and your driver,” Owen said, so less of the heat would be on his cousin.

Ryan decided now would be a good time to cut in. “But what matters is that Carson and his daughter are safe.” Ryan ignored the harsh look Celia threw him and looked confused at Bess’s widening eyes.

Diane raised an eyebrow. “Why did you say ‘daughter’ like that, Ryan?” Ryan froze. “Do you want children? That’s surprising.”

“I never really thought of having kids before,” Ryan responded. Technically, it wasn’t a lie, he never thought he would have kids. Deep down, he wanted to, but he wasn’t sure if he would be a good father to begin with, so he pushed the idea away. But after spending a short while with Nancy, he realized that he truly did want to be a father.

“Really? What happened to carrying on the family name?” Celia questioned her son.

Ryan didn’t care much about the Hudson name anymore. It was the reason he lost Lucy. It was the reason why he couldn’t spend time with his daughter in public, and why she didn’t want others to know the truth about her parentage. Ryan didn’t blame her. And who knows, maybe it was the reason Tiffany died. “I’d like to fix our family name before anything,” Ryan said smoothly. 

Growing up in the limelight of the Hudson family was far from smooth sailing for Ryan. Little did his mother know, he did have a kid. A kid who told him that she was a Drew, and nothing will ever change that. Ryan understood that, no matter how much it hurt. He would never force Nancy into the Hudson family, nor would he ever tell anyone the truth. He would do anything to protect her.

Celia narrowed her eyes. “Our family name-”

“Is broken.” Ryan said swiftly. There was a moment of silence before Diane spoke up.

“I have to admit that your intentions are…noble,” she started, perhaps warming up to Ryan, but only a little. “But family is important. Bess’s mother moved, and it took all of these years for Bess to find us when we didn’t know about her. Who knows, maybe you have a kid out there,” Diane finished.

Bess came to Ryan’s rescue. “Well, I’m sure that not everyone wants kids. And I think if Ryan had a kid, everyone would know, I mean, it wouldn’t be a secret,” Bess said, truly trying her best to convince everyone that Ryan most definitely did not have a child at all.

Ryan only hoped that nobody else would catch on. He appreciated Bess’s effort, but he was almost certain it didn’t work. 

“Maybe if he does have a kid out there, chances are they don’t know he’s their father,” Owen noted lightly, taking a drink of his wine. He didn’t seem invested in the conversation, but still politely participated.

Owen’s response made Ryan flinch as it hit too close to home. He didn’t know that he had a daughter until recently. He would always be grateful to the Drews for taking Nancy in, raising and protecting her, but he wished he had known sooner. He wished Lucy was still here, he wished he could’ve saved her. All these wishes, yet none of them came true. But even if they had, Ryan doubted that he and Lucy could’ve raised Nancy safely. Pushing his thoughts away, Ryan spoke up, “Well, I know that I don’t have any children, and I’m not even thinking about having them anytime soon.” Ryan casted his eyes downward. He knew that the first part was true, Nancy was Carson and Kate’s daughter by everything but blood. Ryan decided to change the subject, if he had to say one more thing about kids… 

“So, Bess, how are you adjusting to being a Marvin?” Ryan asked, genuinely curious. Bess thankfully took the hint, and the conversation resumed from there, with no more mentions about kids.

The next day, Ryan was doing some paperwork when his phone rang. He saw Nancy’s name, and answered. 

“Hey, Nancy,” Ryan greeted.

“Hey,” his daughter’s voice came from the phone. “Bess told me all about the dinner last night, and I wanted to ask you if you were okay.”

Ryan was touched at her concern. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t do a good job hiding the fact that I already have a kid.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I trust that you won’t let anyone know,” Nancy responded, not sounding mad at all.

A small smile appeared on Ryan’s face. Nancy trusted him not to tell anyone. That made him feel better about himself. He was worthy of her trust. “I would never do anything to put you in danger.”

“I know. Besides, danger has a way of finding me, anyway,” Nancy said airily.

“I know,” Ryan deadpanned. He wished Nancy wouldn’t put herself in danger to solve a mystery, but it wasn’t his place to tell her to stop. Besides, he’s sure that Carson tried his best to lead Nancy away from danger. “I know that I should be more careful, but so should you.”

“I am careful! I haven’t conducted any supernatural rituals again!” Nancy exclaimed.

“Rituals? Again? What are you talking about?” Ryan questioned. He was really tired of all the supernatural stuff in this town. The only reason he didn’t leave was Nancy, and because this town was the only other connection besides her he had to Lucy.

“Don’t worry about it. I gotta go, these tables aren’t going to wait themselves.”

“Okay, stay safe,” Ryan responded, almost pleading.

“No promises. Bye!” Nancy hung up the phone.

Ryan sighed and leaned back in his chair. He wished that Nancy would be safe, but then again, he asked her to break into a ship and steal coins, and then he took her to an underground auction. He actually put her in danger, but she didn’t seem to care about that. He was just glad that his relationship with Nancy was getting better, he really loved her, but he didn’t want to tell her that out of fear it would somehow drive her away from him. She already had a father that she loved, and Ryan didn’t want to come in between them. But he still had a daughter, one who wanted to get to know him, and that meant everything to him.


	5. Aftermath of The Sign of the Uninvited Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the aftermath of Nancy almost getting killed by Josh. I hope you enjoy it!

Nancy bid goodbye to Karen and left with Ned to go back to The Claw so she could collect her things before heading home. Ned didn’t want to leave her alone, especially with Joshua still out there, and Nancy was grateful; she didn’t want to be alone. She wished she got the chance to tell Joshua that she was his niece, maybe that would’ve been a good reason for him not to try to kill her. But everything had happened so quickly.

“Do you want me or anyone else to drive you home?” Ned asked.

“No thanks, my car is at The Claw. Besides, it’s not a long drive,” Nancy assured him. 

Ned nodded, knowing it was useless to argue with her. “Okay, but if you change your mind…”

“You’ll be the first person I call,” Nancy said. They continued to walk until they got to the front of The Claw. Before they opened the door, a car arrived, its lights hitting Nancy and Ned.

“Ryan?” Nancy whispered. “Hey, I’ll meet you inside.” Ned nodded and he headed in. Nancy walked up to Ryan, who had just gotten out of his car. “What are you doing here? Josh is still out there! You could still be in danger!”

Ryan looked at Nancy and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He almost lost his daughter. He left her here, drove away, and then she almost dies. “I don’t care about that, I had to see you.” Ryan couldn’t lose Nancy, he just found her. He longed to hug her, but he was still cautious about overstepping boundaries.

Nancy looked at him and wrapped her arms around him. Ryan responded immediately and hugged her back tightly. 

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect Lucy, and I couldn’t protect you,” Ryan said, his voice breaking. He didn’t care that his attempted murderer was out there, he cared that Josh almost killed Nancy. God, why did he leave her alone? 

“None of that was your fault. And I can take care of myself,” Nancy insisted, still hugging her biological father. It was the first time they ever hugged, and Nancy found that she felt better. Maybe all she needed was a hug from a father? 

Ryan pulled away and looked over the strawberry blonde for injuries. “Are you okay?”

“Physically, yes. Emotionally? Josh was technically my uncle, and I didn’t get the chance to tell him the truth. Maybe if I did, he wouldn’t have tried to kill me and he wouldn’t have gotten electrocuted…” Nancy shuddered, still haunted by the fact that Josh somehow walked away, after being electrocuted.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault, okay? You fought back in self-defense,” Ryan insisted, determined not to let Nancy blame herself for what happened. “And I’m sure if he knew who you were, he wouldn’t have hurt you,” he tried to reassure her.

“Maybe… I mean, we were friends, he was always nice to me and my friends. He just really loved Lucy and he thought you killed her because of the emails, which were on their old computer. He didn’t mean to kill Tiffany, he just wanted to kill you,” Nancy explained, her voice shaking. She ran her hands up and down her arms.

Ryan took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. “Here, I think you’re still in shock.”

Nancy tried to shake Ryan’s coat off. “No, I’m not, I’m fine.”

“Then keep it on for my sake?” Ryan tried, taking a relieved breath when Nancy nodded and wrapped his jacket around her. “I don’t blame him for trying to kill me. I’m just upset that he tried to kill you.”

“Well, I figured out that he killed Tiffany. I probably should’ve kept quiet,” Nancy noted. “It’s just… everything happened so fast.”

“I know, but what matters is that you’re safe now,” Ryan said sincerely. That was all that mattered to him. He was so terrified the entire car ride over. He knew that Nancy was fine, but he had to see for himself.

Nancy managed a small smile, and then realized something. “How did you find out what happened so quickly?”

“Detective Hart called Carson, and he called me and told me what happened. I was still in my car so I turned around and drove straight back here,” Ryan explained, remembering how his heart almost stopped when Carson told him about Nancy and Josh.

“I didn’t know that you and my dad talked,” Nancy replied, raising an eyebrow.

“We don’t really talk,” Ryan confessed. Truthfully, he felt a bit awkward talking to Carson now that he and Nancy know the truth, and he’s sure that Carson feels the same way. But if Nancy was in danger, Ryan and Carson would easily ignore everything. He was grateful that Carson called him. “But you were in danger, and that’s what mattered.”

Nancy smiled. “Well, thank you for coming back here. You shouldn’t have, not with Josh still out there. And I don’t know how he got a rare poison, so he was most likely working with someone-“

“Nancy.” Ryan put his hands on her shoulders. “There could be dozens of people who want to kill me, but even that wouldn’t stop me from seeing you.”

Nancy smiled. “I appreciate that, Ryan, I really do.” She shrugged off his jacket and held it out. “But you should still go.” Ryan was about to protest, but she continued. “I know that the last time I said that, I almost died, but I’m just going to get my things and go home, I promise.”

Ryan hesitated but accepted the jacket. Nancy would be safe, he knew that, she would be in her car driving home. Josh wouldn’t come after her, he was most likely weak and he would be focused on getting out of town. But his parental instincts filled him with worry regardless. 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll call you when I get home, I swear,” Nancy insisted. 

Ryan relented. “Okay.”

Nancy gave Ryan one last hug and went inside The Claw. Ryan watched her enter as he got into his car. Nancy was safe, and that was all that mattered to him. God, he hasn’t been this terrified since he showed up to Horseshoe Bay all those years ago and heard that Lucy had been murdered. He lost her, and he almost lost Nancy too. Ryan only cared that Nancy was safe, and at the moment, she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryan finally got his father-daughter hug! xD Let's be honest, Ryan really needs a hug, but he was so scared of overstepping his boundaries with Nancy! I wanted their first hug to be emotional and to happen after their relationship developed.


	6. Another Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan dreams of an alternate reality in which Lucy lived and they raised Nancy together. Is he stuck in his head forever, or will he be able to escape
> 
> Based off of Nancy’s experience with her alternate reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I had about half of the chapter finished but I wasn't sure how to continue it. And then I was motivated after last night's episode, which was so amazing and emotional! I absolutely loved it!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Ryan opened his eyes and found that he was in a bed. He looked to the side and found Lucy sleeping besides him. He smiled and kissed her forehead. The blonde opened her eyes and grinned. 

“Morning,” Lucy said, stretching.

“Morning, honey,” Ryan responded, getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. Lucy followed in suit. About twenty minutes later, she was finished.

“Hurry up, I wanna surprise Nancy with her favorite!” Lucy called out from downstairs. “Honestly, you’re slower than Nancy and I combined,” she teased, with a smile on her face.

Ryan teased back “Oh, please, you take forever deciding how to wear your hair,” while coming down the stairs, Lucy lightly smacking him on his arm.

“Come on and help me,” Lucy said, as she got the stove ready. “Get the eggs and bacon.”

“We’ve been together for almost twenty years and you’re still as bossy as ever,” Ryan noted lightly, laughing at the playful glare Lucy sent his way.

“You’re lucky I love you,” Lucy said lightly, accepting the eggs Ryan handed her and breaking them into a bowl while Ryan put the bacon on the stove.

Ryan agreed, “I am,” while giving her a kiss.

“Isn’t it too early for PDA?” Nancy walked down the stairs into the kitchen, still in her pajamas. 

“One day, you’ll be married and you’ll understand, sweetie,” Lucy smiled at her daughter, while laughing at the horrified look on her husband’s face. “Oh get that look off your face, Ryan.”

Ryan turned to Nancy. “You are too young to get married.”

Nancy rolled her eyes, but smiled. “I haven’t even started college yet, dad, you can relax.”

All of a sudden, a wave of memories hit Ryan. Memories of Lucy dying, coming back to Horseshoe Bay, Tiffany dying, being haunted, and not raising Nancy. None of this was real, he realized through his heartbreak. The last thing he remembered was being in his living room, then nothing. His real life, where he met Nancy when she was already all grown up, who called another man ‘dad.’ Why was he here? What supernatural force would be so cruel to put him in this other reality? This isn’t the life he lived, it’s the life he wished he had. 

“I’m making your favorite, Nancy,” Lucy informed the strawberry blonde, effectively stopping the wheels in Ryan’s head from turning even more.

“Scrambled eggs and bacon?” Nancy’s face brightened. “I’ll put on some coffee.”

Ryan watched the domestic scene. He might as well try to enjoy this while it lasted. He knew it wasn’t real, and he would have to figure out a way to escape this false reality, but he longed to spend time with Lucy and Nancy, as a family. He was willing to live in a lie, just for a little bit. 

“Hey, Ryan, will you watch the bacon?” Lucy asked, focused on the eggs.

“Yeah.” Ryan went to the stove, and somehow, he knew how to cook bacon. It must be a side effect of being in this other reality.

About twenty minutes later, the family of three sat down and ate. There was laughing, teasing, and most of all, there was a lot of love. Ryan loved every second of it, but he knew it wasn’t real. He remembered that Nancy told him about her experience in her own alternate reality. She tried to look for clues but discovered that the way out was for her to talk to her mom and move on. She told him that even though she had almost died, she got a sense of closure that she didn’t have before. Is his way out similar? 

Ryan spent the next few hours with Lucy and Nancy. His daughter had to leave to go to work, as she was still a waitress at The Claw, but she seemed happy about it. All Ryan wanted for Nancy was her happiness. He spent some time with Lucy, and it felt like they were still teenagers. Something came up at the ice cream shop she owned, so she had to go. Ryan was surprised that Lucy owned an ice cream shop, until he realized that their spot was an ice cream shop, and his heart broke once again. 

The photos they had in their home were very similar to the ones he had seen at the Drew residence: photos of Nancy growing up, family photos, and his wedding photos with Lucy. Ryan spent what felt like hours going through each photograph, committing as many as he could to memory. He was so busy indulging himself in familial bliss that he didn’t even notice Lucy coming in the house.

“You’re still here,” the blonde said, surprised. Ryan jumped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Ryan shook his head. “No worries, Luce.” He hesitated for a moment. Should he tell her the truth? None of this is real, and he had to get back to his life, get back to the real Nancy, no matter how much pain he experienced in his real life. “Lucy…I have to tell you something…”

Lucy cut him off. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“No you don’t….This place, this life, it-“

“It isn’t real,” Lucy said softly. At Ryan’s shocked expression, she continued. “The universe works in mysterious ways, Ryan. I got the chance to see our daughter and help her solve mysteries. And then I had an opportunity with you, and I took it. Don’t worry, you’re not dying.” Lucy’s expression darkened. “Not like what happened to Nancy in that evil room in that mental institution. You’re safe, at home, just unconscious, sorry about that.”

Ryan shook his head. “I don’t understand…why? How?”

“I thought you had abandoned me. I thought you hated me and wanted me dead, but then Nancy found those emails and you said you didn’t write them. I saw how much you loved me. And I just had to talk to you. I wanted us to have one day, just to see what this life felt like,” Lucy said softly.

Ryan’s eyes got teary. “I’m so sorry, Lucy, for everything. I should’ve been there for you and Nancy-“

Lucy wrapped her arms around him. “It wasn’t your fault, Ryan. You’re in Nancy’s life now, and you two are good with each other. I’m glad she was raised by the Drews, and I’m glad that you’re in her life now.”

Ryan hugged Lucy tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Lucy pulled back and watched as their front door opened on its on. Instead of seeing the front porch, there was only a soft, golden light.

“It’s time for you to go,” Lucy gave Ryan a watery smile.

Part of Ryan didn’t want to leave, but he knew that he had to. He cupped Lucy’s face in his hands and kissed her. “Will I ever see you again?”

Lucy smiled. “Of course you will, I’ll never be far.”

With one final look, Ryan walked towards the door, content with knowing that Lucy forgave him. He was grateful for the one good day Lucy gave him. Ryan took a breath and walked through.

\-------------------------------------------------------

“Ryan! Ryan, wake up!” Ryan heard Nancy’s voice, and felt her shaking him. He opened his eyes, and saw his daughter looking down at him, worry and concern clear in her features. “Oh, thank God. Are you alright?” She asked, helping him sit up.

“I’m fine, Nancy, better than fine.” Ryan assured her.

Nancy looked confused. “Better than fine? You were unconscious for who knows how long!”

“Let me explain what happened. I’m okay, I promise.” Ryan was touched at Nancy’s concern. He was still amazed at the fact that she was his daughter. He allowed her to help him up. He made them coffee and they sat down on his couch. He explained everything that had happened to him.

“Wow. Well I’m glad you had a non-life-threatening experience with an alternate reality,” Nancy said. 

“Not funny. Lucy was very angry about that, too,” Ryan responded. “I am, too.”

“Okay, fair enough.” Nancy smiled. “But I’m glad that I was there, because I got closure with my mom. And you got closure with Lucy.”

“Yeah, I did. I never thought that I would, but I did.”

Nancy asked, “Hey, how did she even pull you into a dream/alternate reality to talk to you anyway?”

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know. She’s a ghost now, maybe she’s capable of a lot more now.”

Nancy nodded. “Yeah, maybe. I’m glad you’re okay. You scared me.”

“I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry,” Ryan said sincerely. 

Nancy waved it off. “No worries.” She put her coffee on the table next to Ryan’s and leaned over to hug him. Ryan happily reciprocated.

Ryan was glad that Lucy pulled him into that dream/reality. He got the closure he needed, and he got to see her again. He felt a sense of peace he never felt before.


End file.
